Friends tell of their ordeal off Skye

Sandra Laville reports

12:00AM GMT 29 Dec 2000

SITTING in his hospital bed yesterday John MacDonald said he was looking forward to a recovery tipple.

He sai he wanted "a good stiff dram to celebrate Hogmanay - a New Year I thought I would never see." Most of those looking for John and his friend Donald MacDonald for 20 hours in freezing conditions at sea and on land had harboured the same thought.

Fishermen and lifeboat crews well used to the unforgiving elements of the Hebrides searched on through Wednesday and Thursday with their hopes sinking. In the bars and hotels of Sleat on the Isle of Skye, the talk was all of the two fishermen who were feared dead. A barman at the Hotel Eilean Iarmain said: "We never thought they would be found alive. When we were told they were alive we just couldn't believe it."

The men, both crofters who fished part-time, set off at 11am on Wednesday to catch some whelks. Both had their own creel vessels, about 16ft long. Jan MacDonald, Donald's wife, said her husband liked to fish for whelks as a Christmas treat. Although the weather was worsening and the forecast was bad, the men decided to take their chance.

However, they soon lost each other as the blizzard descended. The blizzard sent John, known as Seonaidh, west towards the island of Rhum. Donald was pitched towards Skye. John, being treated for hypothermia at Broadford Hospital yesterday, said: "There was no problem when we set off and then the snow came in. I couldn't see anything. I lost track of Donald after a bit and my engine cut out. I was drifting helpless whichever way the current or the wind would take me."

Some nine to 12 miles west of Skye, in the pitch black, with the wind chill at -5C, John knew it was useless to shout for help. He could only try to keep warm and keep his spirits up. He said: "Fortunately, I had my oil-skins on and they kept me fairly dry."

Throughout the night, as rescue teams searched the waters and mountain rescue teams scoured the coast, John fought to survive. He said: "There were a few scary moments. It was pitch dark with driving snow and occasionally I would be hit with a big wave." Unknown to him, Donald had been washed to shore at the Point of Sleat. His boat was found on Wednesday night with footprints leading through the snowdrifts away from the coast.

The air and sea search, involving an RAF Sea King helicopter from Kinloss, the Stornoway coastguard helicopter, two lifeboats, a coastguard patrol boat and fishing vessels, had been halted at 11pm on Wednesday to be resumed in the morning. However, villagers from Tarskavaig continued the search throughout the night. They were aware that Donald had only a limited time to survive in temperatures below freezing. One of the volunteers, John Mitchell, told how he searched through the night. He said: "None of us was called out. We knew the coastguard had called off the search so we all went out. The conditions were terrible but the two were friends of ours so we carried on through the night."

For John MacDonald, his situation grew more grave as dawn broke. He said: "When daylight came, there was still a swell and a big wave overturned me. I was in the water for about half an hour when I managed to scramble on to the keel of the boat. I was clinging on for dear life." Losing consciousness and with hypothermia taking hold, he finally saw the fishing boat Golden Isle and a lifeboat from the Loch Nevis ferry.

He said: "It was the happiest moment of my life. You can't explain how it feels when you realise your life is going to be saved. I don't think I would have lasted much longer. They pulled me aboard and I was never so pleased to see some folk. But I never got a dram to celebrate, just a cup of tea." Half an hour earlier Donald had also been rescued one and a half miles inland from his boat. He had tried to walk to safety but had become disoriented by heavy snow showers. He was seen by mountain rescue teams staggering through the snow.

His wife had alerted the coastguard about her husband but knew nothing of John's plight. She said"It was strange how it happened," . "I did not even know that Seonaidh was missing when I reported Domhnall Iain [Donald] missing." She praised the various rescuers for their efforts. "They did a wonderful job. We will always be grateful to them."